6.2-Magnitude Earthquake Kills 118 In China's Gansu And Qinghai Provinces

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck an ethnic county in northwest China's Gansu and neighbouring Qinghai province on Monday midnight, killing at least 118.

The shallow quake jolted the region at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, with a focal depth of 10 kilometres, the China Earthquake Networks Centre said. It has resulted in heavy damage to infrastructure.

As per state media Global Times, 105 people have died in Gansu and 11 in Qinghai. The epicentre of the earthquake Liugou township is about 8 kilometres from the county seat of Jishishan Bao'an,

Dongxiang, Sala autonomous county in Linxia Hui autonomous prefecture in Gansu. Qinghai province is adjacent to the Tibet Himalayan region which is prone to frequent earthquakes due to shifting of continental plates.

The earthquake damaged houses, roads, as well as other infrastructures, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted eyewitnesses from the area as saying. Several villages suffered power failures and disruption of water.

As per local meteorological authorities, Jishishan is expected to experience a minimum temperature of minus 10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. In response, the provincial fire and rescue department dispatched 580 rescuers, supported by 88 fire engines, 12 search and rescue dogs, and over 10,000 sets of equipment to the affected area.

The railway authority has suspended passenger and cargo trains passing through the quake zone and ordered a safety check of railway tracks. Hu Changsheng, the ruling Communist Party chief of Gansu, and Ren Zhenhe, the governor of Gansu, have rushed to the disaster-hit area to command rescue and relief efforts.

Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered all-out rescue efforts to minimise casualties after the earthquake.

It stands as China's deadliest earthquake in terms of casualties since the devastating 2010 quake in Yushu, Qinghai Province, and ranks as the second-largest in magnitude. Notably, the most significant seismic event since the 2010 Yushu quake took place in Gansu Province, registering a maximum magnitude of 6.6 and causing nearly 100 fatalities.

"I live on the 16th floor and felt the tremors so strongly. The moment of the earthquake was feeling like being tossed up after surging waves... I woke my family up and we rushed down all 16 floors in one breath," Global Times quoted a resident living near the epicenter surnamed Qin as saying.